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(No Modell) G.- H. BATON an J. L. PAT-0H.

vGOLLAIESIB'LB- .UPI-IRA GLASS.

Patented Nov.. 24, 1891.

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`said post or support, whereby the lens-hold- UNrrEn STATES PATENTOEEICE.

GEORGE H. EATON AND JOHN L. PATCH, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS; SAID PATCHASSIGNOR TO SAID EATON.

COLLAPSIBLE OPERA-GLASS.

, SPECIFICATION forming partof Letters Patent No. 463,660, datedNovember 24, 1891.

Application led J une 13, 1 8 91,

To aU whom it may concern.

Be it known that we, GEORGE H. EATON an JOHN L. PATCH, both of Boston,county of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvementin Collapsible Opera- Glasses, of which the following description, inconnection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, likeletters and gures on the drawings representing like parts.

lThi'si'inVentiOn has for its object to improve the construction ofcollapsible operaglasses.

Our invention comprehends the employment of two lens-holding plates andan intermediate plate and flexible tapering tubes, .as cloth orequivalent material, attached to and held by said plates, and adetachableextensible post or support adapted to be interposed betweenthe lens-holding plates, and an .adjusting device for adjusting thelength of ing plates may be held at any desired distance apart tothereby change the focus.

Figure l shows in side elevation and vertical section a collapsibleopera-glass embodying this invention; Fig. 2, a vertical section of thedevice shown in Fig. 1, taken on the dotted line fo; Figs. 3 and 4,details to be referred to.

The plate a, made 0f metal andof `suitable shape, has two holes throughit,which, as herein shown, are adapted to receive thimbles a', whichcontain lenses a2, held therein by bushings a. Rings a4 are screwed orotherwise secured to the thimbles a', each of which rings has anupwardly-extended flange a5, over which one end of the tapering ilexibletube b, of cloth or other suitable material, is drawn. A spring-actingring a6 is placed within each ange a5 ot' the rings aacting to hold theliexible material in placel' The rings a4 are turned on the thimblesuntil the flanges a5 thereof press the materialrmly against the underside of the lens -holding plate a. The other lens-holding plate e hastwo holes through it similar to the lens-holding plate a, and in saidholes thimbles c are placed which receive and hold the lenses. Rings c2are screwed or otherwise secured to said thimbles, having anges c3, overwhich are drawn the opposite ends of the flexible sel-a1 No. 396,103.(No moda.)

tubes b, the material being held inplace by the spring-acting rings c4,andy said rings e2 being turned on the thimbles until the flanges c3press the material iirmly against the plate c.v

A plate d, placed midway between the lensholding plates a c, has twoholes through it like said lens -holding plates a c, which receive thetubular flexible material b, said material at such point being firmlyand securely attached to the plated by the wirelike rings cl and theflanged clamping-rings d2.

A detachable eXtensible post or support is interposed between thelens-holding plates a c, passing through a hole inthe plate cl, saidpost or support being composed Aof the tubular or hollow stem e and thestem e movable telescopically within the stem e. The upper end of thestem c is adapted to lit snugly in a socket e2, attached to the inner orunder side of the lens-holding plate a. The stem e is slotted at itsupper end, as at 2, to receive a cross-bar 3, secured diametricallyl inthe socket e2, to thereby keep the stem e from rotating, and the tubularor hollow stem e has arranged on it eXteriorly at or near its extremeend a`series of ratchet-teeth e3, and a pawl e4 (see Figs. 1 and 3) ispivoted to the inner side of the plate c, the engaging end of whichpasses through a hole in a boss e5 on said plate and engages one oranother tooth of the series of ratchet-teeth e3. A spring e6 iscontained in the tubular or hollow stem e, which exerts its forceagainst the stem e.

Amilled-edge wheelf, having a hole through it provided with an internalscrew-thread, is held in position on the plate d by a bracket or holderf secured to the under side of said plate d, the central hole of saidwheel registering with a hole in the plate cl, through which hole thestern e of the extensible and detachable post e e passes. The stem e hasarranged spirally on it projections f2, or said stem may bescrew-threaded to be engaged by the'wheel f. The stem e is slottedlongitudinally, as at 12, (see Fig. 4,) to receive the projections f2 onthe stem e', as said stem -is withdrawn or pressed into the hollow steme against the tension of the spring c6.

The extensible post or support e e", it will be seen, is readilydetachable, and when detached the three plates a, Land c are con- IOOnected only by the flexible tubes I), and may therefore be broughttogether and lmade to occupy but little space. The detachable post orsupport is inserted by passing it with its stem e foremost through theholes in the plates c d and into the socket e2 of the plate a, and atsuch time the plate or holderf, which supports the wheelf, will bearupon the upper end ofthe tubular or hollow stem e and draw the tubularmaterial between the plates c d substantially taut. Then by rotating thewheel f, which it will be understood serves as the adj usting-wheel, thestem e may be moved in either direction at will. As the stem e is movedoutward it acts to separate the plate a from the plate dby bearingagainst the cross-bars 3 3, and as the said stem is drawn inward it actsto move the platea toward the plate cl by its frictional engagement withthe socket e2, assisted, as it usually will be at such time, by theplate ci being held firmly against the face of the user.

The hollow stem, it will be understood, is made of such length that wheninterposed between the plates c d the flexible material will be drawntaut, and although we have shown a series of ratchet-teet-h adapted tobe engaged by a pawl, whereby the length may be slightly varied tocompensate for any shrinkage or stretching of the material, it isobvious that any other suitable locking device may be employed.

lt is obvious that the means herein shown for adjusting the parts may beused in combination with other forms of collapsible operaglasses.

lVe do not desire to limit ourselves to the particular means hereinshown for attaching the flexible material or tapering tubes b to theplates, as it is obvious that they may be attached in many diiferentways.

We claiml. In a collapsible opera-glass, two lens holding plates (t c,an intermediate plate d, and flexible tubes b b, rigidly connected tosaid plates a c d, combined with an adjusting-Wheel f, having a centralinternally-screwthreaded bore, the holder f for said Wheel secured tothe plate cl, and the detachable and extensible post or supportcomprising the hollow stem e, adapted to hold separated the plates c andd and thereby hold the flexible material between said plates taut, andalso comprising the stem e', adapted to engage the plate a and havingspirally-arranged projections on it, said stem being embraced and movedtelescopically in the hollow stem e by the said adj listing-wheel,substantially as described.

2. In a collapsible opera-glass, two lensholding plates a c and theintermediate plate d, having two holes through it, flexible tubes IJ b,rigidly connected to the plates a c and passing through the holes in theplate d, and fastenings contained within the said tubes h b for securingthem rigidly to the plate d at the holes, combined with the detachableand extensible post or support interposed between the two lens-holdingplates a c, substantially as described.

3. In a collapsible opera glass, two lensholding plates a c and theintermediate plate CZ and flexible tubes b b, rigidly secured to saidplates a c (l, combined with the adjusting-Wheel, asf, a holder for itsecured to the plate d, and the detachable and extensible post orsupport comprising the hollow stem e, slotted as at 12, and interposedbetween the plates c and cl, and the stem e', having projectionsf2 onit, which enter said slot l2 as Vthe stem is moved longitudinally withrelation to the stein e by the adjusting-wheel, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEO. H. EATON. JOHN L. PATCH. lVitnesses:

BERNIcE J. N oYEs, EDWARD F. ALLEN.

